COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA. Tile Andes ,, inate on the north in Colombia and Venezuela in several distinct ranges, which, trending south to southwest, meet and coalesce in the Pasto Knot in southwest Colombia. The westernmost range of magnitude is the Cordillera Occidental, which rises just east of the mouth of the Atrato, and trends southward. parallel to the coast, throughout Colombia. In this are summits 10, 000 and 11,000 feet in height, the highest peaks being in the southern part. Near the boundary line with Ecuador it is cut through by the Rio Patia, which flows south and west into the Pa cific. East of the Cordillera Occidental, and sepa rated from it by the narrow valley of the Cauca, branch of the Magdalena, is the Cordillera Cen tral. This range rises from the lowlands be tween the Calico., and the Magdalena, and attains a great height, with Cumbal, 15,715 feet; Gua can, 16,683 feet; .Guiean, 15.748 feet; Santa
Marta, 19,029 feet; Santa Isabel, 16,732 feet; Herveo. 18.045 feet: Ruiz, 17,388 feet ; Sugar loaf, 16,000 feet; Tolima, 18,425 feet, and many others of equal height. The range is composed mainly of crystalline sehists, while the higher peaks are volcanoes, which have spread lava and ashes over many parts of the range. East of the Cordillera Occidental and across the valley of the Magdalena, is the Cordillera de Bogota, origi nating in several ranges in the north of Vene zuela, which trend in a general southwest direc tion and come together at various points; the principal ones are the Parija and Merida ranges, which unite near Bogota, beyond which point the range is single. Its highest peak is Cocui, 16,680 feet high. File range is in the main composed of strongly folded Cretaceous and Tertiary beds, and contains no volcanoes.